Player News - Packers

Matthews was limited to 29 snaps which mostly came on passing downs because of the injury last week, but he could play more against the Seahawks after getting in a limited practice Thursday. "Things progressed a lot more than last week," Matthews said. "It’s a lot better than where we were last week so hopefully that’s a positive indicator moving forward." With OLB Nick Perry (hand) expected to sit and ILBs Jake Ryan (ankle) and Blake Martinez (knee) limited, the Packers need as much from Matthews as he can give.

Perry is out this week but shouldn't miss the rest of the season. The Packers think he can play with a cast despite surgery on several broken fingers. Julius Peppers and Datone Jones will see more snaps until Perry returns.

He suffered what coach Mike McCarthy called a "significant" left hand injury and has already had surgery on it. The injury occurred in the first half of Sunday's win over Houston. He returned to the game with a large cast on his hand but only lasted a few plays. Perry has never played a full season since arriving in the league in 2012.

Packers OLB Nick Perry (hand) has been ruled out for Week 14 against the Seahawks.

Perry suffered the injury in the Week 12 win over the Eagles and tried to play with a club on his hand in Week 13 but suffered a setback. Perry will be reevaluated on Monday. It's a big loss for the Packers, as Perry is having easily his best season as PFF's top-rated 3-4 outside linebacker against the run. It's a big boost to Thomas Rawls' Week 14 matchup at Lambeau Field.

Pennel had been facing a 10-game ban, but sued the league over a technicality. This is the settlement. It's Pennel's second four-game suspension of 2016. The run stopper can return for the playoffs if the Packers qualify. Pennel will be a restricted free agent in the offseason.

Packers OLB Julius Peppers is not sure if he will play after this season.

The 15-year veteran is in the final year of his deal, and he does not know if he is interested in signing another one. "I’m not saying that I don’t want to play next year," Peppers said. "I’m not saying that I do. I’m just saying that right now, I don’t know. And I’ll figure it out at some point." With 142.5 sacks, fifth all-time, the Canton-bound pass rusher has nothing left to prove, but he would certainly like to get his hands on an elusive Super Bowl ring. If the Packers are able to make an unlikely run this postseason, he could decide to hang 'em up.

Clay Matthews is expected to keep playing through his shoulder injury.

Matthews was limited to just 29 snaps against the Texans, but the Packers need him with injuries mounting at linebacker. Both Jake Ryan (ankle) and Blake Martinez (knee) are fighting through issues at inside linebacker, and OLB Nick Perry is dealing with a hand injury of his own. Those issues mean Matthews will continue to see sporadic snaps both at inside linebacker and as a situational pass rusher even at far less than 100 percent.

Starks opened the game with the starters, but he was benched the entire second quarter and only saw one carry after halftime. Ty Montgomery ended up playing 29 snaps and was the preferred back as the Packers tried to salt away the clock in the fourth quarter. Christine Michael was also much more involved than Starks. Looking like the third option in the backfield and with the Seahawks coming to town, Starks does not need to be held in shallow leagues.

Christine Michael rushed nine times for 19 yards Week 13 against the Texans.

Michael opened up with a solid seven-yard run on his first action in the second quarter, and he converted a fourth-and-short later in the same drive. Michael was much quieter in the second half, gaining just one yard on four carries, but he seemed to jump James Starks in the pecking order. Both Starks and Michael look like inferior options to Ty Montgomery, however, and it is impossible to know how the workload will be split moving forward. Michael is not trustworthy enough to use against the Seahawks in the first round of the fantasy playoffs.

Cook came out of the gate hot, catching two quick passes including a third-down conversion on the first drive, but that was the extent of his contributions until the fourth quarter. Cook will have some big games in this offense, but he is impossible to trust week to week. He can be left on the wire.

Randall Cobb hauled in all three of his targets for 19 yards and a touchdown Week 13 against the Texans.

Cobb was not asked to do much of anything, but he did save his fantasy owners with a nine-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Aaron Rodgers was able to escape pressure to his left on the play, and Cobb did a good job to find space in the end zone for the score. It was his fourth touchdown of the season but his first since Week 9. He also has recorded 41 yards or fewer in three of his last four games. With Davante Adams vacuuming up targets, Cobb has become a low-floor WR3. He certainly will not be a must-start next week against the Seahawks.

Adams had some chances in this game, but he was only able to come down with one of them. That catch was a disappointment as well, as Adams just stepped out of bounds before running over several would-be tacklers for another 30 yards. Adams also dropped what would have been a long gain down the sideline and was overthrown deep down the field in the first half. Overall it was a very disappointing game, but Adams still was second on the team with seven targets and should avoid Richard Sherman on most of the snaps next week. Despite the bad day, Adams will remain a solid WR2 against Seattle.

Jordy Nelson caught 8-of-10 targets for 118 yards and a touchdown Week 13 against the Texans.

Nelson was the focal point of the passing game all day. With the offense focusing on short passes early, Nelson racked up five catches for 37 yards in the first half, but he got it going down the field after the break. His first long catch was a 32-yard touchdown where he was left all alone in the end zone. He also hauled in a deep pass down the right sideline in the fourth quarter, and he went over Kareem Jackson for a third-down conversion on the final touchdown drive. Still the No. 1 receiver even with Davante Adams surging, Nelson will remain a WR2 even with the Seahawks and Richard Sherman coming to town next week.